Floods, violent storms deepen Gaza suffering

A violent winter storm is compounding the suffering of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip which has largely been destroyed in the past two years of fighting.
Many of the tents where people are sheltering from the cold and rain have been flooded, and some were torn apart by gusts of wind, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported on Monday.
Tents located near the beach were destroyed by high waves. Local civil defence authorities said a woman and a child were killed.
'The water entered our tent before sunrise. Within minutes, everything was flooded - the mattresses, the blankets and our children's clothes,' Khaled Abu Labda said.
'We spent the rest of the night standing in the cold because we had nowhere else to go,' said Abu Labda, 41, from Deir Al Balah in central Gaza.
Aisha al Najjar said, 'We survived months of bombing, but now the rain is finishing us off.'
Palestinians, weakened by war, hunger and displacement, have sought shelter in the buildings that are still standing. But they are in constant danger of the structures collapsing, after being damaged by Israeli bombardment in the course of the conflict.
Gazans have faced repeated storms since early December. Aid organisations criticise Israel for blocking the transport of residential containers or other mobile shelters to the Gaza Strip. Gaza's emergency coordinators estimate some 200,000 are in need of shelter.
Meanwhile, Hamas on Monday officially confirmed the death of five high-ranking members during Israeli attacks in Gaza, including the brother of Yahya al Sinwar.
Besides Mohammed al Sinwar, those mentioned included Abu Obeida, as well as senior commander Raed Saad. Israel announced Saad's killing on December 13. - dpa